Grain-washer



e. & e. w. FEAGA.

Grain Cleaner.

Patented Jan. 4. 1853.

N. PETERS, Phnlo-Lilhographur. Washington D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEO. FEAGA AND GEO. W. FEAGA, OF FREDERICK, MARYLAND.

GRAIN-WASHER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,517, dated January 4, 1853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE FEAGA and GEORGE W. FEAGA, of Frederick, in the county of Frederick and State of Maryland, have invented or discovered a new and useful Method of Separating Grain from Garlic, Smut, and other Impurities; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same and of the means of reducing it into practical operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part thereof, in which Figure 1, represents a side view of a machine now in use. Fig. 2, represents a top view of the same; and Fig. 3, represents the elevator detached.

Similar letters in the several figures denote the same parts.

The nature of our invention consists first in Washing the grain in water, by which means the smut is loosened, and in which the smut, garlic and all other light impurities will rise, and pass off with the water, and then carrying the washed grain by elevators or otherwise, and passing it over or through a chamber or chambers heated by steam or hot air where it is thoroughly dried, and thence to the stones for grinding.

To enable other skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe a machine now in successful operation, and which fully illustrates the principle of our invention. Varied means may be employed in carrying out this method of cleansing grain, but that which I have found to be most effective, simple, and cheap, may be described as follows:

The frame A, may be constructed in any well known substantial manner, and near the bottom thereof .we place a trough B, through which passes a shaft C, provided with a series of spirally fixed arms a, for stirring up, carrying forward, and washing the grain which is introduced through the spout D, at one end of the trough. At the other end of the trough B, is a pipe E, through which a constant stream of water passes into the said trough, the water charged with the impurities of the grain,

garlic, &c., floating on its surface, passes off through an opening Z), in the top of the trough. On an endless belt F, passing over the drums or pulleys G, H, fixed on the shafts C, I, are arranged the elevators 0, which are perforated in their bottoms to allow the water to drain off from the grains, and which carry up and deposit it in a semicylindrical chamber J, provided with a shaft K, having spirally arranged arms cl, thereon for agitating and moving the grain through said chamber in the end of which is a tube 6, through which the grain passes down into a similarly constructed chamber L, also provided with conveyers and agitators as above described to equalize the drying of the grain. The chambers J, L, have each double bottoms as seen at f, f, Fig. 1, (where the outer shell is represented as broken to show the steam space between the double bottoms) through which the steam let on through the pipes g, h, i, may pass. When the grain arrives at the end of the chamber L, it may pass through the spout M, to the hopper to be ground, it having been thoroughly cleansed and dried, the entire operation consuming but from two to three minutes of time.

N, O, P, are gear wheels for operating the several parts of the machine.

Having thus fully set forth the nature of our invention, and shown the means of putting it into practical use, what we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The method herein described of separating grain from smut, garlic, and other impurities by first washing it in a trough or reservoir of water where the separation takes place, and then conveying the washed grain to a drying apparatus, where it is thoroughly dried, the whole operation being performed substantially in the manner herein set forth and described.

GEO. FEAGA. GEO. W. FEAGA.

l/Vit-nesses A. B. STOUGHTON, T. O. Donn. 

